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The Problem

Explosive Growth of Intensive Poultry Units: Since 2016, intensive farming has surged by 20%. Today, 96% of UK chicken broiler meat comes from IPUs housing hundreds of thousands of birds.

Shropshire: A Dangerous Hotspot for Poultry Waste: Shropshire, alongside Herefordshire, leads the UK in poultry intensification. Each day, 1,901 tonnes of poultry waste flood the region, much of it polluting the River Severn.

Outdated Pollution Models: The Environment Agency is still relying on 2010 livestock data for phosphate modeling and 2014 figures for nitrates—ignoring the massive spike in poultry numbers as of 2024. These models drastically underestimate the environmental impact.



Pictured: intustrial poultry units, which hold anything from 40,000 to more than 600,000 birds at any one time. © Getty Images

Our Solutions

We must halt new Intensive Poultry Units (IPUs) and stop the expansion of existing factor farms.

We need sustainable farming incentives for proper waste disposal. Protecting the River Severn is essential for wildlife, communities, and future generations.

Halt the development of new intensive poultry units (IPUs) and the expansion of existing ones, especially in areas along the River Severn where phosphorus and nitrogen levels are already too high.

Use Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) subsidies to reward poultry farmers for adopting environmentally friendly practices.

Promote the use of technologies that recycle slurry as a substitute for chemical fertilizers.

This is Sh*t: Crappy Eggs

What We Have Done

River Action will be taking on Shropshire Council in the High Court as a seven-year dispute over an industrial-scale chicken farm continues. © Sky News

In November 2024 we launched a legal action against Shropshire County Council for allowing yet another factory chicken farm capable of housing 25,000 chicken, to be developed along the River Severn.

We’re heading to court in April to fight for the future of our environment and block this polluting poultry farm.

What We Are Doing

We’ll be continuing our battle in the court in March 2025 to stop the development of a new factory farm. If we are successful, our legal challenge will set a vital precedent for planning authorities across England opening the flood gates for legal challenges where authorities don’t consider the cumulative impact of chicken farms on our precious rivers.

In the coming months, we’ll connect with community groups already fighting to protect the River Severn, gathering evidence of pollution levels and offering our support. We’ll work alongside these groups, identifying where we can add value and strengthen efforts to hold polluters accountable.

We’ll dig deep into evidence and data to expose the dirty poultry industry and its supply chains and launch creative campaigns to hold polluting corporations to account.

Take Action

If you want to see Britain’s rivers clean and thriving, there are many actions you can take to make a difference.

Rescue Your River

River Action is a small and agile campaigning organisation on a mission to rescue Britain’s rivers from a cocktail of agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution.

River Rescue Kit

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